To Live | Hwarang

chapter twenty seven

ji dwi let (name) drop, dashing into the trees to chase after her attackers. he found an abandoned bow and quiver laying by the base of a tree, both engraved with a small dragon wrapping around a sword.

he frowned but brought the two back in case, helping soo ho - who had come out of the house - to take (name) inside. soo ho had called ah ro, who came rushing and forced ji dwi to place her down on one of their beds while she went to get the medical kit.

"(name)," ji dwi whispered softly, his hand gently running through her hair as her face contorted in her unconscious state. "wake up. stop worrying me."

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"(name)!" a little boy giggled as (name) scooped him up, spinning him around in circles through the air.

"hello, ji young," (name) smiled at her brother.

"(name), can we buy bread? i got money from father!" ji young asked, playing with (name)'s hair.

(name) set ji young on the ground. "come on then," she agreed, her hand encompassing her brother's smaller one.

the market was oddly empty, the vendors all looking half dead and flies buzzing around the food. (name) pulled ji young in close, glancing around wearily.

the baker's bread seemed moldy and old, green and what looked like rest bites. (name) looked down at her brother, then back at the bread. "ji young, we can buy bread tomorrow, okay? the bread today isn't —" (name) let out a shriek as an arrow flew out of the trees and lodged itself in her younger brother's back. his hopeless eyes stared at her as he fell, going cold and dark.

"no!" she yelled, frantically looking around in the trees and searching for the small dagger she made sure she always carried.

"(name)..." ji young's voice burbled up from his dead body. "you didn't protect me. why didn't you protect me?"

"i—" (name) sputtered, her hand wrapping around the empty sheath for her dagger, which now lay in ji young's hands. "stop! give me back my dagger!"

"oh, (name), you failed. you failed and you deserve to die." her mother's voice floated out from the trees that suddenly surrounded (name). she frantically searched around but all she could see was trees and the creepy laughter that floated from all around her.

she saw an arrow get shit at her from out of the corner of her eye and she stiffened, preparing for the pain as the tip pierced her chest —

"(name), wake up!" it was ji dwi. (name)'s eyes shot open, beads of sweat running down her forehead and sticking her hair onto her skin in an uncomfortable embrace.

"ji dwi—" her voice cracked and she coughed violently. "help me." (name) fell back onto the pillow, her eyes rolling back into her head and shutting.

"(name)! ah ro, come quickly! (name)'s passed out again!" ji dwi yelled, running out into the hall. "help her!"

ah ro dashed (dasi ran ran ran) into the room. immedialty checkibg up on (name). she groaned in frustration. "i don't know what's wrong with her! it's some sort of poison that was probably on the arrow shaft and i think it's making her see things in her sleep, but i don't know for sure."

"please, just help her." ji dwi begged, his eyes downcast and his tone dark.

ah ro saw the look in his eyes and sighed. "please wait outside. i'll do my best."

random question: what's your worst dream/ scariest dream?
mine: you know the coffee brewers that they have in like hotel rooms and all? right so it was one of those kind of things and there was like water dripping out really really slowly (like a drop would take an entire minute) and i don't know why it scared me so much but i ended up crying (i was like three or something) and waking up the entire plane we were on. other than that i had a dream where i was being chased by giant popsicles with faces around my house.
also does anyone want to make a cover for this book? like legit i hate the cover rn and i can't find time to make a good one so... like message me or something.